Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.
Previous studies, described in PCT/AU2011/000622, demonstrated for the first time that combination of inulin and sulfonylureas acted synergistically in inter alia lowering fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels in patients with Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Synergy appeared to be restricted to sulfonylurea-class of compounds rather than—other examined anti-diabetic treatment in this study.
Preparations of inulin can be heterogeneous and can vary significantly with respect to the degree of polymerization (DP). Starting with natural sources, inulin will have a different DP range depending on the source (eg. DP in the range as low as 2 to about 60 for different natural sources). Inulins with DP in the range from 2 to about 10 are also referred to as fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and oligofructose (OF). Extraction and processing of inulin from natural sources will further contribute to this variation in DP as well as broadening the DP range and/or bias the range towards lower DP values. None of the earlier published studies provide any indication about the useful DP range for inulin and how this parameter may influence synergy with sulfonylureas in the treatment of T2DM.
There is therefore a need for better defined and improved synergistic inulin-sulfonylurea compositions, with more efficacious and predictable blood glucose level control, and improved dosing regimes.
It is an objective of the present invention to overcome or ameliorate at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art treatments, or to provide a useful alternative.